Leased Corridors as Sovereignty Shortcut

A new form of territorial settlement: states lease strips of sovereign land to foreign powers for transit and infrastructure (roads, rails, pipelines) on multi‑decade terms, creating enduring foreign footprints without formal annexation. Such leases can produce acute domestic backlash (religious and cultural opposition), weaken territorial claims (over places like Karabakh), and set a regional precedent that external powers use to secure strategic access. — If the Zangezur‑style lease spreads, it would reshape sovereignty norms, great‑power access in contested regions, and the domestic politics of states that cede long‑term control of transit corridors.